


The Price of a Life

by Urza_Major



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Child Abuse, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-06-21 12:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15557868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urza_Major/pseuds/Urza_Major
Summary: Young Kingsley Dice's life has been gambled away at Lucifer's casino, leaving him a child slave until he gains control of his own life at 18. He's beloved by all the workers who look at him as their own child and do their best give him the best life they can. So when Lucifer's son, little Devil, takes a shine to the Dice, they're unsure of the budding friendship. When they try to stop it, Lucifer orders the Dice to play with his son, if only to stop the puffball's wailing.This leads them to a stronger friendship than anyone had ever predicted. One that may be too strong for even The Fallen Angel to break.





	1. Risking her everything

**Author's Note:**

> This story starts in the 1890's, with Dice being very young. I'll make a note when the decade changes. 
> 
> Lucifer is the fallen angel of Christianity's stories, the Angel that rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven as a result. The Devil is his son/technical clone. He implanted a mortal with his child, much in the way God had done to make Jesus. Devil is exactly like Lucifer, DNA wise, but having a different upbringing makes him act differently. Nurture VS Nature style. 
> 
> Beta'd by Zephiryl

In a casino, a dice-headed woman winced as the dealer called red 25, signifying her most recent loss. She didn't have any money left to bet, but she had to keep going. She was getting better. She could tell. She had won more that day than normal. If she got one more game she could walk away with enough money to pay her rent for another month. The woman had recently lost her job and her final check was nowhere near enough money to even afford to feed her kid for a week, let alone afford their little shed of a rent house. But if she could just win a hand right... She could hold herself down for another month. She had to keep repeating that. She was growing desperate. 

She begged the demon at the table to let her play the next round on credit. He denied her. They only gave credit to those who they felt could pay it off. She didn't even have a job to supply her money. The woman devolved into tears, begging for one more round. This garnered the attention of the owner.

The creature rose from his place in the crowd. He had been lured from his office when he sensed desperation enter his casino. He'd found her all too easily, then waited. He could wait for eons if he needed. This time, he'd only needed sit for twenty minutes.

The moment he dropped his cloak to reveal his thick, black fur, a hush fell over the crowd. The customers hadn't even realized he was among them until that moment, though they did notice the workers seemed a bit on edge. It was never good when an owner had to come settle an issue in their own establishment, but there was an added risk when that owner was the King of Darkness and fallen angel, Lucifer.

He stepped forward to take a seat next to the woman. "You want a credit?"

"Yes. I'll do anything. I just need one more game." She stared up at him with wide eyes, his mere presence sending chills through her.

"What would you offer as collateral?" His ruby eyes watched her with bored interest. 

"I... don't have much..." She pondered what the Devil would want, playing with her hands with constant worry. "My soul?"

His laugh bellowed through the room. "Silly mortal. You do not own that. You cannot gamble that." He grinned wickedly. "Of course... you could always gamble your life."

"My life?" The woman was shocked, "You'd kill me if I lose?"

"Of course not!" He laughed louder, the sound not being a comfort to anyone with how it echoed in the silence. "What would I get out of that? No. You'd serve me for the remainder of your life. Doing so would sully your soul... perhaps to the point where I'd get it in the end." He grinned, a gesture which may have been charming if not for the dagger-sharp teeth.

The woman stared at him, biting her lip. She knew she could win but was it worth the risk. After a moment, she nodded. "I'll promise you my life." 

The Devil smirked, eyes glowing before he huffed a laugh. "No. I think not. You don't have enough years left to be of any service to me."

The woman blanched. Not only had he played with her already fragile mind by pretending she had had something to offer, he had basically told her she was reaching her end of days. That she'd die young. Where would that leave her boy?

The Beast stood, beginning to walk away. He had no interest in her if she had nothing.

"Wait," she called out to him, causing the creature to stop in his tracks, his head turning back lazily to show he was listening. "I... have a son." Her pupils were blown with the fear of what she was considering, but her voice didn't waver. 

Out of her sight, he grinned before dropping it as he turned around. "How old?"

"He's four." She looked down, shame creeping up her spine.

"Well then, you do own his life, don't you? At least, until he's eighteen." He pondered. "Fourteen years... that's almost triple what I'd get out of you."

The woman turned a near ghostly white. Just over four years was all she had left in life? That couldn't be so. She was so young. 

The fallen angel snapped in her face, drawing her from her thoughts. "Do we have a deal?"

She bit her lip again. If she was going to die in four years, he'd be eight when he became an orphan. No one would take in a child born out of wedlock. If she left, she could marry in that time... except for the fact that she had a son. She was a scarlet letter. An adulteress. No one would take her when she had a bastard child. Taking this deal would ensure he had adequate care. Lucifer wouldn't let his property die. He wouldn't get the same use from him after death. But what would his life be like once he became a pawn of The Prince?

His face fell into one of boredom as he slowly pulled back his hand, rolling his eyes. She had to decide quickly or else he'd leave. Her hand shot out before she could think further, clasping his. She shuttered at the leathery feeling of his hands and the black sharpness of his claws as they dug softly into her hand.

"Your child's life, for," he paused to consider before continuing, "I'll be nice. Three rounds. If you win in those three rounds, I'll set you for life since I'm feeling so generous. If you lose, I get your boy."

She nodded. She could definitely win in three rounds. She pulled away with three chips stamped with her son's face in her hand. Her finger ran along the small image, which only reminded her of the dire situation she had agreed to. She placed the first down on the black 29, begging God to help her be right as the Devil sat beside her. 

"Black 18," the dealer said as the devil picked up the chip.

She took her second and placed it on the red 19, 'Please God. I know this was a mistake. But please don't let me lose my boy. Please.'

"Black 18."

The Devil smirked as he swiped the second chip. "One more chance. Make it count."

She looked at him with fear. Was it just coincidence that it had been black 18 twice? Was it a trick? Was he testing her? She swallowed as she began placing her chip on the black 18, but hesitated. Had his smile had widened slightly or was she seeing things? She moved the chip to a different spot, watching his smile. No one stopped or rushed her. They knew she had too much to lose to push her, and they feared what the Devil would do if they interfered. As she hovered over the red 22, she definitely saw his smile falter, just slightly. She moved it away and it returned. She placed it on the red 22. He knew what the next spot was. This was the spot he didn't want her to take. She felt confident she'd caught his tell. That she'd beaten his game.

"Black 18." Her heart shattered. His claws picked up the last chip. She lost.

He stood from his seat, grinning. "Nice doing business with you." He tossed the chips in his hands, happy with his win. He was about to leave before he paused, leaning down to her. "Maybe if you pray again, He'll let you see your son before I take him."

The woman's eyes widened before she bolted from the chair, pushing people over as she fought to escape. She had to get home. She had to hold her baby. "Please, God. Please!" Her cry echoed the empty streets, begging the Lord to hear her pleas even as she heard Lucifer's soft chuckle echo in her head.

She burst into her home twenty minutes later, calling for her son as she tore through the house, passing by a dark woman with a black teapot for a head.

"Miss Dice? What's the matter, woman?" The old Pot asked, jolting up from the chair she had been reading in.

"Kingsley! Where's Kingsley?" 

"He's in his room, Miss. He's asleep." She followed her up the stairs, trying to stop her to no avail. 

Tears stained her face as she burst into her son's room only to be met with darkness. The bed was perfectly made, no lump to mark a body. A note sat on his bed, scrawled in beautiful calligraphy.

'See what good prayer does?'

Her son was gone. All she could do was sob as the old pot stumbled down the stairs to scream for the police.


	2. Getting Settled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dice is given a job in the casino's kitchen and learns a very important lesson: Stay Strong. Meanwhile, everyone Dice meets seems to be a bit fond of him, except the one person he has to work under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Direct continuation of the last chapter. No time jump.

The police arrived in swift fashion, taking the woman's story quickly while Mrs. Potts gathered the neighbors to let them know. When they found out Kingsley had been stolen, they formed a mob, ready to attack Lucifer's casino to get the child back. His mother stared in wonder as they did, realizing that her son wasn't just a bastard child. The town loved him. 'He was good and pure and people would have taken him in...' she thought to herself as the police lead them in a march to Lucifer's casino. 

The closer they got, the more they noticed the lack of light that usually disrupted the stillness of night. It was completely dark. The only thing lighting their way was the blazing of their own torches and lanterns and the soft glow of the moon. As they got over the final hill, it became evident that the building was no longer there. It was nothing more than an empty lot. There was no sign of anyone who'd worked there or the child Lucifer took.

A child with an Ivory dice head with little purple pips and living Ivory skin to match, who was currently sleeping in Lucifer's arms. He'd shown no fear when the beast appeared in his room and, when beckoned forward, had come with no hesitation. When Lucifer had lifted him from the ground, he didn't cry or fight. It seemed as if the child knew his future lay in the arms of the hairy creature that had come to get him. 

Moving the building, and its inhabitants, wasn't hard outside of getting the customers out. They'd moved anytime they did something that would hurt business, like taking a child. Half of the employees wouldn't even notice the building had moved as they never went outside, though they were able. Most just didn't see the appeal because anyone they met on the outside would look down on them with scorn for daring work for the devil.

Lucifer was removed from his thoughts when the child groaned awake. He glanced down at him before walking to the staff housing hall. He knocked on the door to an elderly card woman who ran his craps table, the woman looking scared when she opened the door to be met with his dagger grin. 

"Y-yessir?" She asked, obviously nervous. He passed her the child, who only whined at the loss of warmth. "Oh... Where did you-"

"Don't ask questions." He turned around and left her with the child. "I expect him to be working by the end of the week. Find him something to do."

She nodded and shut her door, taking the kid inside. "Hey there, kiddo. Are you okay?" 

The dicehead looked around as if just realizing he wasn't at home in his bed anymore.

"What's your name?" She sat him on the couch, going to get him a blanket and pillow.

"Kingsley." He smiled softly, taking the pillow from her. 

"Hi, Kingsley. My names Cardlita, I'm gonna make sure you're taken care of. Where's your momma?"

"I don't know. She's normally not home when I get home. Mrs. Potts takes care of me during the day."

The woman frowned, looking at the smudges on his ivory head from the soot covering the boss. She grabbed a rag and cleaned it away as he yawned. "I'm sleepy, Mrs. Cardlita."

"Of course you are, sweetie. You go to sleep here and we'll get everything settled out in the morning." She smiled as she got him settled in, covering him as his eyes closed. 

\------

The next morning, she took him to the kitchen to meet the rest of the staff, each one taking a liking to him almost instantly. The only one who showed any aggravation about having a small child around was, unfortunately, the only person who would be forced to deal with him on a day to day basis. A man made of flames, named Pyre, who was the current head chef. Kingsley would be taught to clean the dishes as his tiny hands could easily fit into the smaller glasses, which meant the head chef would have to deal with the kid being there all day long, along with having to make sure he was doing the job properly. 

The old man grunted when Cardlita told him Kingsley was his responsibility at work. "And if you hurt an inch of his ivory, I'll make sure you pay." She smiled pleasantly, turning to Kingsley. "If he's mean to you, let me know." She pat his head before leaving the kitchen. The rest of the staff wished him a good day before they went back out, leaving Pyre, Kingsley and the dessert chef, an apple man named Gala. 

Pyre groaned before starting the breakfast cooking, Gala taking the dirty dishes to the sink with Kingsley. The apple was kind enough to give him a rundown of how the sink worked and how to clean the dishes. The young Dicehead picked it up easily enough, though he wasn't always strong enough to get up the burns from the pan, meaning Pyre or Gala had to come over and fix it. After a while, breakfast had been made, served and cleaned up, and they were just waiting for the lunch rush. Pyre was cooking something on the stove that seemed to require some meticulous work. The child watched him from his spot on the counter, where he had to sit to even be able to reach the sink, and carefully asked what he was making.

"Just trying a new recipe." He sighed, continuing. "Now stay quiet."

Gala rolled his eyes and left the room, declaring "Smoke break."

Dice stayed quiet as he scooted closer to better see the food. It was another few minutes before he gave in and asked: "What is it?"

The man huffed and sat up. "Béarnaise sauce with a flair. Don't ask what's in it." 

The kid scooted closer, observing him quietly. When the flame tasted the sauce, Dice asked if he could try it too. Rolling his eyes, he took a small spoonful and let the kid try. 

After a moment of deliberation, the child looked at it and said, "It needs lemon."

"LEMON? IN A BEARNAISE SAUCE?!" The man's fire burned bright blue in anger as dice shrank back. 

"It just... Lemon would spice it up." The four-year-old cried out, flinching away from him.

"Whoa!" Gala came back in, standing between the two. "What's the problem, Pyre?"

"LEMON! IN A BEARNAISE SAUCE!!!!" The flames grew higher, causing the fire alarm to go off. The flames were doused by water, leaving the man a sizzling, cracking mass that had the look of burned wood. He was still angry, but there was no longer a danger of burns. "Get him out of here, now." 

Gala picked up Dice and carried him out to the main floor. "Wow. Okay. That was scary." He looked at Kingsley, who'd lost control of his tears. "Hey, now. It's gonna be okay. Pyre will sizzle out and everything will be okay. He's just particular about his cooking."

The child cried harder and tried to wipe his face. 

"What happened?" Lucifer's voice chilled the room, the apple stiffening as he tried to calm the child.

"Pyre snapped at Kingsley and blew up a little bit. The kid just got scared is all." 

Kingsley wiped his eyes, cries quieting as Lucifer scooped him out of Gala's arms and disappeared with him.  
They reappeared moments later in Lucifers office, the devil speaking slowly. "Okay. I'm going to need you to calm down. Pyre wouldn't have hurt you. No one is going to hurt you here." 

Kingsley sniffled, trying to hold back cries. "He... He... He ye-elled a-at me!"

"He's nothing but a hothead. You're alright. Come now." He sat the child on his desk and offered him a box of tissues. 

"I'm s-sorry, sir." The child looked down after blowing his nose. "When can I g-go home?"

The demon shook his head. "You won't be leaving here for a long, long time. I've got a room being set up for you so you won't have to sleep on Cardlita's couch anymore. It'll help you feel more at home." He shuffled some papers, "But for now, you need to understand something. This isn't a daycare. You have to be strong to work here. If kitchen work doesn't suit you, I will find you something else."

He flipped through the papers to find a particular account. "Can you read?"

"N-no, sir. But I c-can count to twenty." Dice looked proud of himself, though he was still stifling sobs, "Wanna-na hear?"

"That's quite alright. I'm working out a schedule for you. I'm going to have some of the staff tutor you so I can get you out there." A few seconds of silence passed before a portal opened, a small imp scrambling through. 

"Sir. The beast! It wakes!." He growled, panicked. 

"Oh. Alright." The demon looked almost uncomfortable as he stood. "You wait here. I have to take care of something."  
The two disappeared through the portal, leaving the young dice alone. He looked around the room, suddenly curious about the things around him. He got off the desk to look at the objects on a shelf, fascinated by the scales and claws he found. He had five minutes alone before the portal reopened, Lucifer returning with a small bundle in his arms. 

"Alright." He sat down and pulled a paper closer. "Do you want to try to return to the kitchen, or should I find somewhere else to stick you?"

Dice thought about it for a moment. "I wanna go back to the kitchen. I want to apologize to Mr. Pyre."

Lucifer chuckled, shaking his head as he whispered, "ridiculous kid." He continued filling out the schedule. "Alright. Report back to the kitchen and I'll be down to check your progress in an hour." 

The bundle squirmed a bit, calling Lucifer to look down at it. He rocked it softly and continued, "You'll work until the dinner rush hits. Then my dishwasher is gonna come in and take over for you. After that, you're to report to your room where the staff will come in and teach you how to read, write and anything else you need to know. Is that clear?"

"Yessir." Dice resisted asking about the bundle, knowing the man wouldn't be interested in answering his questions.  
"You're dismissed."

"Di... Dismissed?"

Lucifer looked up and shook his head. "It means you may leave." 

"Oh... okay. Bye Bye, sir." The boy opened the door, walking out slowly. 

He left the door slightly cracked enough to hear him say, "Are you having an attitude today? Spidclane tells me you scorched two imps today." He sounded almost cheerful.

Dice clicked the door shut, more curious about what was in that bundle than before.

He walked down the hall, looking around for any sign of where the kitchen was. He finally found a staff member he'd been introduced to that morning, a shark in a rolling tank of water, and found the courage to ask him. 

Fins told him to walk down the hall until he got to the end. "That'll lead you to the elevator. Take that elevator to the first floor and go through the lobby to the dining area. From there you should see a host who'll show you the right door. I think Carmen Cayda is working today. Green Grasshopper woman. You can't miss her."

The child nodded and followed his directions to the lobby, where he had to search for the dining area. 

In the lobby, a large lobster-looking man looked over the counter, glaring. "Kingsley? I thought you were supposed to be working in the kitchen."

"I am. I can't find it." He looked up at him, shyly.

The old lobster sighed and called out for his co-host to watch the front end while he took Dice back to the kitchen.

The lobster lead the objecthead to the kitchen, where Gala lifted him back up happily. "Oh gosh. I'm so glad you're okay. I thought the boss was gonna... Not important. You're safe."

The child smiled as Gala fawned over him, trying to rub out smudges. "Thank you so much, Clawdius."

The Lobster smiled, nodding his head before returning to the front desk. 

Gala sat Kingsley down, smiling gently as the child walked towards the fireman. "Mr. Pyre? I'm sorry I upset you." 

The man looked down at him, lifting a firey eyebrow. "Alright. It's fine. You didn't know better. I'm just kinda... touchy about my cooking." He returned to his cooking, "Gala! Get this kid to his station."

The apple carried him back to the sink, where he continued his chore until Pyre brought him some steak strips with the sauce to dip as a snack. And if he tasted a bit of lemon in the sauce, he wouldn't mention it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I wonder what was in that bundle," the author said, knowing full well everyone knows who that was.


	3. Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dice impresses the boss and finds something new.
> 
> Sorry this chapter is just a bit shorter, but i feel a lot more happens in this one.

Months passed with the dicehead working in the kitchen, cleaning dishes and giving recipe suggestions whenever asked. Pyre would never admit that Dice had a well-developed pallet for a four-year-old. 

With the tutoring he'd received daily, he'd become very proficient in reading and writing, discovering that he loved reading for fun. Many of the employees, whom Dice had begun looking upon as family, would buy him books to read in his downtime. He ended up with a full bookshelf in no time, some simple little books, others more complex, and one tome, bound in thick leather on the top shelf that Lucifer had given him as a present, along with a tag that read 'When you can read this, we'll discuss further employment opportunities' in a beautiful scrawling script. Dice wasn't sure what that meant but regardless, he'd tried to read it twice already. The words were much too complex for the four-year-old, leading to Cardlita shelving it for a while.

He'd also been taught to use small amounts of magic, which helped him press buttons and move switches from across the room. He couldn't do it easily, and the magic fizzled out quickly, but he could use it to shut off lights and stovetops in case of emergencies. 

 

Lucifer called Dice in one morning to test his abilities, nodding his head when Dice took a customer's order without hesitation and read it back to Pyre and Gala. Of course, he had to guess on how to spell words he didn't know, but Gala could figure it out easily. When asked why Pyre didn't try to read it since he was head chef, Gala told Dice, "He's made of fire... He'd burn the paper in his hands."

This news upset Dice a little when he realized that Pyre couldn't read books without burning them. Pyre told the kid that he didn't get much enjoyment out of reading anyway, in an attempt to soothe his worries, but Dice told him he'd make a book that Pyre couldn't burn. Which is how Pyre wound up with a soggy copy of Dice's favorite book. 'The Admiral's Caravan,' on his mantle. Soaking the book did make sure it didn't burn, but the wet pages hissed against his flames and the water made the ink run, so the ruined book wound up placed on Pyre's mantle in his suite, where Pyre told the child that he'd find a way to read it one day.

Lucifer told the child that when he was a little older, he'd train to be a server in the restaurant, then he'd be trained to be a server in the casino itself before he'd run one of the tables. Dice was unsure about the list of jobs he was in line for but as always, when asked if he would rather just stay in the kitchen, the child would smile and say "I'll never know if I can do it if I never try." This would cause the Devil to grin, showing off his sharp teeth with pleasure.

The strange bundle he'd seen would make random reappearances, being bigger each time. Dice grew the courage to ask about the bundle five weeks after he'd initially seen it, noting the discomfort Lucifer exhibited when it was brought up.

"Do not tell anyone about what you saw that day. It's very important that it remain a secret until things are... safer."

"What do you mean? Is it dangerous?" Dice asked, looking at the room where he knew the bundle was sleeping.

"I'm not worried about the safety of my employees." Lucifer shut him down soon after that, sending him back to his lessons.

Later in the week, Dice grew restless and moreso curious over that bundle. It was late at night, the casino was busy and Lucifer was working on the casino floor, stalking a desperate man. The dicehead sat up, growing almost bold in the thought he may be able to see the thing. He slipped from his bed, walking to the door and sneaking into the hallway. Down the hall was an elevator that would take him straight up but it let it out by the secretary. She'd never let him in. On the other side of the hall were some stairs he could use to sneak past her, but he'd never make it up there in time. He considered the dumbwaiter, which would be cramped, but there was an entrance right in Lucifer's main office. He'd be caught if anyone activated the dumbwaiter but he could always say he was playing in it, which would get him punished, but less so than admitting he was trying to sneak into Satan's office.

He climbed up into the box and slowly shut the door before using his magic to push the up button, feeling the machine hum to life as it lifted him towards the top floor. After a few minutes, the machine stopped and the door unlocked, allowing Dice to open the door. He snuck out and looked around the ornate office, making sure there was no sign of the Devil or his Imps. After being assured nothing was around, he went around to the door that had appeared in the office after Dices first time seeing the bundle. He had seen Lucifer going into the room with the bundle and leaving without it and he'd heard something calling out in the room, causing the Devil to answer the call almost instantly. Kingsley knew the bundle had to be in there and he refused to leave before he saw it. He reached for the handle and slowly opened the door, shaking slightly with anticipation.

The door moved with a soft creak, inaudible to anyone further away than dice himself, as he pulled it open. he padded silently through the opening, noting how the cool marble floors instantly changed to hotter stone. It was still smooth to the touch but he knew if it had broken, it would be sharp as a knife. He made a mental note to be careful where he stepped as he walked further into the room. Along one wall of the room was a window covered in a curtain with a large hole burned into the center. Said hole was letting in just enough light to see beautiful tapestries with singed edges, a bookshelf filled with leather bound books, some lightly smoked stuffed toys, a large rocking chair and the object of Dice's curiosity, a bassinet crib. Kingsley knew the Bundle was probably in there, and he quickened his step, narrowly avoiding a shard of broken stone on the floor. He pulled himself up slowly to see into the bassinet and was met with the sight of a tiny puffball covered in blankets. His hand slipped between the bars as he was filled with a need to touch this thing.

It looked like a tiny version of his boss, but it didn't make sense. He knew the boss didn't have a wife so how could he have had a baby. But as his fingers came into contact with the fur, he realized that the tiny beast was real, not a figment of his imagination. The fur was soft and warm under his fingers, encouraging Dice to pet more along the tiny head. The movement of fingers along his fur disturbed the tiny being into wakefulness and soon, it's head turned and green eyes met red. Dice's heart quickened once he realized the baby had wakened and he prepared to run out quick if it began crying. However, quite the opposite happened. The baby began to smile, a much happier sight than when it's father would do so, and a small giggle erupted from it. It reached out its tiny hands and grabbed Dice's arm, pulling it forward to continue scratching at the top of its head. Dice's motions were rewarded with soft purrs and quiet laughter. 

"You're not so scary. I don't know why the Boss is so worried. You couldn't hurt a fly... and who would ever hurt a baby." Dice whispered to the puffball, moving his hand down to scratch behind his ear.

The pleasant moment was short-lived with a hand grabbed Dice from the darkness and pulled him away from the crib quickly. Dice shouted in fear as the baby began to instantly cry. The rough hands turned him around and he was met by the red, fire-filled eyes of Lucifer. 

"What have you done!" His voice boomed, only serving to make the baby cry harder. "You're not supposed to be here! NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO SEE!" In his anger, Lucifer threw him against the wall, cracking his shoulder with the force of the hit. "GET OUT!" 

Dice scrambled to get out, bolting down the hall as quickly as he could. He flew passed the secretary and into the elevator. But even as he traveled down, he could hear the echos of Lucifer's rage and the cries of the baby. Even after he locked himself in his room, he could still hear crying. He couldn't sleep until the next morning after the cries had worn down and Cardlita had calmed him.

When she asked what had happened, Dice wanted to tell her everything, but he quickly remembered that the baby was supposed to be a secret. With the memory of what happened when he discovered, he decided to keep quiet.

"I snuck into his office and he got mad." Kingsley knew it would be a miracle if she'd believe him but, for that moment, it seemed like he had an angel on his side.

"Kingsley, it's not your fault. He didn't get that customer to keep betting. I'm sure he's mad about that and he just took it out on you. You're going to be okay." The woman cooed as she helped repair his shoulder. "But from now on, let's stay out of his office unless we're invited, okay?"

Dice nodded and accepted her hug. She put him to bed and told him they'd cover for him so he could sleep during the day. Though once the door was closed, his mind wandered back to the puffball in the crib. He brought up his hand so he could see the sooty residue left over from it's fur, rubbing his fingers together as he tried to decide how he felt about what he'd seen. He eventually came to the decision that he needed to know more about that puffball and he'd touch that silky fur again some day. 

He just had to get back on Lucifer's good side.


End file.
